TrophyMike
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fry
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Loc: Longmont, Colorado
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Summer 2005 I made my maiden voyage to Neah Bay (from Colorado) to fish for salmon & halibut. Drift fishing for halibut on the Canadian Swiftsure was fun & successful but it seemed that the drift was too fast and we spent too much time "beam-on" to the seas. My question is: In order to slow the drift and to keep from swinging beam to the sea is it safe to use either the kicker or the big motor to hold the stern to the swells?
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Gooose
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Ancient Mod
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My choice would be to use the main motor.
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Gooose
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You should have more control using the main motor(s).
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Independent Advocate For The Fish
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Simple Solutions to Simple Problems
Simple Solutions to Complex Problems
There's lies, damned lies and then there are statistics......Mark Twain
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TrophyMike
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fry
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Thanks for the reply. I'm mostly curious about the safety of holding the stern to the swells, as opposed to the bow (which is harder at drift speeds) or the beam (very rough and unsafe if a big one sneaks up on us).
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Gooose
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It can be sloppy when backing in to the swells. First experience was a Hali Charter out of Neah Bay in a 4 person boat out at Blue Dot. Hmmmm no one else went out that day including the big boats. That'll give you an idea of water conditions. Skipper gets us baited up and announces that he's gonna have to back in to the swells. I gave him my WTFMF look....shrug and tuck myself tight in to the gunnel. Boat handled the it no problem. The other 3 clients did not fare so well as the first swell was a slopper that they didn't pay attention to. Brightened my day.  
Right boat and experienced skipper no problem that I can see with it.
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Independent Advocate For The Fish
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Simple Solutions to Simple Problems
Simple Solutions to Complex Problems
There's lies, damned lies and then there are statistics......Mark Twain
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ifish365
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if your boat is not safe beam into it that particular day, you should not be out there, bottom line. i don't know why that has not been mentioned yet... pick your days. just a little over a week ago i saw a boat in the worse position i have ever seen one in for one reason only, stupidity. i would have bet 500 dollars all three idiots would have died, for some reason their lives were spared. the ocean is the most dangerous place in the world, you have to treat it as that.
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Foxtrotter
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This shouldn't be a problem in average swells with your boat. Another perhaps more significant thing to consider is that the best fishing will be during lesser tide flows so consult the tide tables and plan your trips for the days with smaller flows.
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TrophyMike
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fry
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Thanks, guys. I plan to continue timing my trips to fall between the full & new moons in July - Sept. to take advantage of the smallest tide flows. A calm day on the Swiftsure Bank has a significant wave height of 5'. Now according to wave theory, with a reported wave height of 5' you can expect the highest 10% of the waves to be 1.29 times that height, or 6.45'. The highest waves will be 1.87 X 5' or 9.35'. It is accepted that any wave height taller than the beam of a boat is a danger to that boat if it is beam-on, and my 24' boat is 8'6" wide. So if I accept that I shouldn't be out if I'm not safe to be beam-on, I can't include the waters off Neah Bay in my fishing. I'll either experiment with using the main motor to hold me stern-to this summer or I'll go back to using a sea anchor off the bow even though it is a bit of a pain to retrieve each time I want to reset the drift.
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Foxtrotter
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Forgive me if I'm saying things you already know but...
There is a significant difference b/w swells (smooth big rollers that occur regardless of local winds) and "wind waves" Both are referred to specifically in the marine forcasts on VHF but have very different effects on smaller boats. Swells so big the boat next to you disappears behind them are no problem if winds are light. Wind waves are cause for concern. I have found the Neah Bay forecasts to be quite accurate.
If the wind forcast is not going to excede 15 knots by the afternoon, I'm going out. Also the west wind is always to your back on the way in.
One further point is that there can be a 20 knot blower inside the strait starting at Tatoosh and Swiftsure can be smooth as glass.
I fish there a lot so send me a PM if you want to talk more.
Paul
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Marty
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it sure is hard to predict the water conditions that far in advance.. tidal flow predictions are a great idea and hopefully the weatherman allows you to fish safely.
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Marty
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ifish365
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good post foxtrotter, alot of truth to what you just said.
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Foxtrotter
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Hey thanks! 
Paul
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